Nikki Swango

Nikki Swango
Portrayed by	Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Vital information
Alias	Vanessa
Family	Ray Stussy - Fiancé
Residence	Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Statistics
Died	March 2011
Status	Deceased
Fate	Shot in the head by Crowley
Appearances
First seen	The Law of Vacant Places
Last seen	Somebody to Love

Nikki Swango is a Main Character of Fargo Season 3. She is a recent parolee with a knack for competitive bridge playing and the fiancee of her parole officer, Ray Stussy. She is drawn further into a life of crime after a botched robbery orchestrated by Ray. She is the Tetartagonist of Season 3.

Overview

Nikki Swango is a crafty and alluring recent parolee with a passion for competitive bridge playing. She is a woman with a plan, focused on always being at least one move ahead of her opponents.

Appearance

Nikki is a young and attractive woman. She has short brown hair, brown eyes and fair skin. Her physical attributes are emphasized (albeit in an indecent way) by Scotty Pullover, a parole officer and co-worker (and friend in some way) of Ray Stussy, her fiancé and, also, her parole officer.

History

Early life

Not much is known about Nikki's early life, although it is intuited that she has been involved in criminal acts from a very young age. Moe Dammick, Chief of the Eden Valley Police Department, mentions that she has a history of domestic violence, so it is likely that she went to prison for a crime related to this history.

At some point, after entering prison, she is released on parole, remaining in the custody of Raymond Stussy, brother of real estate tycoon Emmit Stussy. She ends up becoming romantically involved with Ray after her first meeting with him, at the St. Cloud Parole Board.

"The Law of Vacant Places"

In Episode 1, Nikki and Ray devise a plan to get back at Emmit, who has what Ray believes to be a more favorable inheritance. Their scheme involves stealing a valuable vintage stamp that Emmit possesses. The stamp is part of a larger conflict over the perceived injustice in the distribution of their father's estate.

"The Principle of Restricted Choice"

To be added.

"The Narrow Escape Problem"

To be added.

"The House of Special Purpose"

To be added.

"The Lord of No Mercy"

To be added.

"The Law of Inevitability"

To be added.

"Who Rules the Land of Denial?"

To be added.

"Aporia"

To be added.

"Somebody to Love"

To be added.

Episode appearances

Season 3

• 301 - The Law of Vacant Places
• 302 - The Principle of Restricted Choice
• 304 - The Narrow Escape Problem
• 305 - The House of Special Purpose
• 306 - The Lord of No Mercy
• 307 - The Law of Inevitability
• 308 - Who Rules the Land of Denial?
• 309 - Aporia
• 310 - Somebody to Love

Trivia

• Nikki shares a surname with Michael Swango, nicknamed by the press as "Dr. Death", an American former physician and an admitted serial killer, involved in as many as 60 homicides of his patients and colleagues, and sentenced in 2000 to three consecutive life terms on murder and fraud charges. It is unknown if, in the Fargo universe, Nikki is related to him in any way.
• Unlike her, Michael Swango was stripped of his parole eligibility for the seriousness of his crimes, in real life.

Murders committed

Committed by Swango

• Golem - Decapitated with a chain with the help of Wes Wrench (Who Rules the Land of Denial?)
• 2 unnamed Narwhal drivers - shot to death (Somebody to Love)
• Officer Crowley - shot in the chest with a shotgun (Somebody to Love)

Connected to Swango

• Maurice LeFay - Crushed by the air conditioner in her apartment, kicked by her fiancé, Ray (The Law of Vacant Places)
• Yuri Gurka - ear cut off and later bled out by Wes Wrench while aiding Nikki (Who Rules the Land of Denial?)
• Meemo - shot to death by Wes Wrench in planned shootout with Nikki (Somebody to Love)
• 4 unnamed Narwhal henchmen - shot to death by Wes Wrench in planned shootout with Nikki (Somebody to Love)
• Emmit Stussy - shot in the back of the head by Wes Wrench, avenging Nikki's death (Somebody to Love)